Waste container

Abstract

 An object of the present invention is to provide a compaction device which effectively compacts the trash and, at the same time, does not unduly transfer loads to the container and, furthermore, to provide a waste container (1) where a high degree of compaction may be achieved and, at the same time, the use of the container (1) will not require any special equipment in the form of garbage trucks. Furthermore, the lid (3) construction must be such that the user can easily gain access to the interior of the container (1) and not be hampered either by the weight of the lid (3) or by constructions placed in the container.
The invention relates to a compaction device, in particular for compacting trash for example in a container (1), comprising two separate items: a compaction beam (5) and one or more compaction guides (7) such that the compaction beam (5) comprises a compaction shield said shield having a surface adapted for engagement with the trash, a motor means and engagement means for detachably engaging and propelling said beam along the one or more guides (7) from a parked position to a compacting position.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a compaction device in particular for compacting trash for example in a container and a container, in particular a trash container comprising such a device.

[0002] In the art, a number of such devices are known. The general problem which these devices addresses is the fact that both industry and private households produce an ever-increasing amount of trash or refuse, and the costs of handling, transporting and storing are ever-increasing. When trash is compacted, the frequency with which the trash containers need to be emptied may be maintained or even reduced, the number of containers may be reduced and the number of trucks needed in order to transport the trash from the user to the landfills may also be reduced, and finally, the space occupied by the compacted trash in the landfills may also be less. Consequently, there is a huge potential both economically but also environmentally in being able to minimize the amount of space the trash/refuse produced takes up.

[0003] In US 3 961 573, a portable refuse bin is disclosed wherein a compactor plate is arranged in the lid of the container. The compactor plate is activated by two actuators such that upon actuation, the plate will pivot about a point substantially in the centre of the lid whereby the trash will be compacted and squeezed to the side and downwards.

[0004] This construction requires that the lid, as well as the hinges and the latch mechanism for closing the lid to the rest of the container are able to assimilate quite high stresses arising from the compacting action. Due to the construction of the compactor plate and the actuation means, quite high stresses will be transferred to the lid construction itself and, thereby, also to the hinges and latch mechanism. Due to this, the lid construction is made relatively strong and, thereby, heavy, which in use means that it is not easy for people trying to deposit trash in the container to lift the lid in that when wanting to gain access to the interior of the waste container both the compactor plate, the actuation means and the reinforced lid construction needs to be elevated and pivoted.

[0005] In WO 02090215, another waste container comprising a compaction device is disclosed. In this waste container construction, a compaction beam is being guided by one or more compaction guides such that the beam may travel upwards or downwards in order to compact the trash as it is entered into the waste container. From the compaction beam, a number of shield plates are arranged, which shield plates are connected to the lids such that trash or refuse introduced into the container will not gain access to the top side of the compaction beam. As the beam travels downwards, the shield plates will telescopically extend in order to cover the distance between the lid and the compaction beam. This device has a number of drawbacks, but the fact that the lids cannot open fully such that the waste container may be emptied by the standard trucks is one of the main problems.

[0006] A standard truck is equipped with means for gripping a container whereafter the container is turned bottom up in order to empty the trash into the truck. For this purpose, the lid will either manually or automatically be completely opened i.e. be parallel with one of the sides in order for the trash to be able to leave the container in a rational and quick way. A further disadvantage is the fact that the extendable shield plates when compacting trash will be exposed to a rather high pressure from the compacted trash whereby the shield plate construction needs to be quite strong in order to withstand this pressure. This in turn makes the construction rather expensive, and furthermore, the shield plate construction rather fragile.

[0007] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a compaction device which effectively compacts the trash and, at the same time, does not unduly transfer loads to the container and, furthermore, to provide a waste container where a high degree of compaction may be achieved and, at the same time, the use of the container will not require any special equipment in the form of garbage trucks. Furthermore, the lid construction must be such that the user can easily gain access to the interior of the container and not be hampered either by the weight of the lid or by constructions placed in the container.

[0008] The present invention addresses this problem by providing a compaction device, in particular for compacting trash for example in a container, where said device comprises two separate items: a compaction beam and one or more compaction guides such that the compaction beam comprises a compaction shield said shield having a surface adapted for engagement with the trash, a motor means and engagement means for detachably engaging and propelling said beam along one or more guides from a parked position to a compacting position.

[0009] As the compaction beam is completely detachable from the compaction guides, it is possible to move the compaction beam completely out of the way such that substantially the complete opening area of the trash container will be accessible to a user. This facilitates the possibility of placing rather large items inside the container as for example cardboard boxes or the like. As the compaction beam comprises one single motor means and the engagement means is driven by the output from the single motor means, a uniform travel of the compaction beam along the compaction guides is achieved. This in turn minimizes the impact on the structure to which the compaction guides is fastened and, at the same time, minimizes the wear and tear of the entire construction and, furthermore, facilitates an optimal compression in that the stresses arising when the compaction beam engages the trash placed underneath the beam will be evened out along the beam as the beam travels down along the compaction guides.

[0010] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the compaction device is further improved such that in each end of the compaction beam, a compaction guide is provided, and corresponding engagement means is provided in the beam for engaging the guides and further that one electrical motor means is provided substantially centrally on the compaction beam such that drive means such as drive shafts, chains, belts or the like transfers the motor means output to the engagement means, where the engagement means comprises rotateable nuts which nuts are provided with an inner tread and on the outside are provided with means for transferring the output from the drive means to the engagement means, and that the compaction guides are treaded rods, where the inner treads provided in the nuts can engage the tread on the rods, and thereby when the nuts are rotated, said beam may be propelled along the compaction guides.

[0011] The treaded rods will readily engage the tread on the treaded rods of the compaction guides such that by simply turning the nuts arranged in the compaction beam, the compaction beam will pending on the direction of rotation, travel upwards or downwards along the compaction guides. This is a very simple principle which, furthermore, is easy to maintain should service be necessary.

[0012] The motor means as well as the means for transferring the output of said motor means to the nuts are all comprised in the compaction beam. Therefore, the compaction guides may be relatively simple constructions. Where the guides are to be arranged inside the container, i.e. in the space where also trash is introduced, the treaded rods may be placed inside a casing. The casing may for example comprise four sides, where one side is adapted to be fastened to the side of the container, and in the opposite side, vertical slits are provided. As the treaded rod in this way is protected on all sides by the casing and only the slits allow access from the volume of the container to the treaded rod, only very small particles and fluids will be able to gain access to the treaded rod. In practice, it is shown that the slits may be of such a size that particles and fluids entering into the inner space of the casing where the treaded rod is placed, has no influence and does not interfere with the travel of the engagement means arranged in the compacting beam.

[0013] The end of the compacting beam is designed such that it will be able to move up and down the treaded rod by having the engagement means and the transfer means for transferring the rotational force to the nuts arranged on two wings which will respectively fit in the two slits provided in the casing for the treaded rod.

[0014] The wings in this manner serve a multitude of purposes. Firstly, they serve to transfer the movement of the engagement section to the compaction beam. As the motor means is activated, and thereby, the nuts are rotated due to the engagement of the tread of the nuts and the corresponding tread on the guide rods, the engagement section will move upwards or downwards depending on the direction of rotation. The wings which are integral with both the engagement section and the compaction beam will, therefore, transfer this movement to the compaction beam and, consequently, to trash, refuse or the like placed underneath the compaction beam.

[0015] Secondly, the wings are being guided by the slits in the casing such that tilting of the beam member may be avoided. Tilting can arise when an item placed under the compaction beam engages an extremity of the engagement beam and, thereby, introduces a moment in the beam. This moment is absorbed by the slits and for this purpose, the wings may be constructed having a certain engagement surface with the slits in order to transfer the load arising from such a moment to the casing and, thereby, to the container construction itself.

[0016] In a further advantageous embodiment, means for reversing the compaction beam's travel along the compaction guides is provided, and that said means may be preprogrammed to reverse the travel when a certain predetermined load is detected by appropriate load detection means and a further detection means is provided such that the motor means will be shut off in the beams parked position.

[0017] By utilizing a simple principle of treaded rods engaging treaded nuts, it is possible with even small amounts of force to translate this into quite high pressures exerted by the compaction beam. In order for these forces not to destroy the surroundings, i.e. for example a container wherein the compaction device is arranged, means are supplied for reversing the travel direction of the compaction beam when a certain maximum pressure is detected. A further advantage of this aspect is that although compaction could be carried out to a higher degree such that the trash would take up less space in the container, this may cause some disadvantages in that it may be difficult to empty the container in a rational way, if the material placed in the container has been compacted to such a degree that it is stuck within the inside of the container.

[0018] Therefore, in a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the detecting means comprises a current measurement means connected to the motor means, such that when a predetermined level of current is consumed by the motor means, a relay or switch is activated whereby the motor means output is reversed, or that one or more load measuring cells are arranged on the compaction shield on the side intended to engage the material to be compacted, such that when a predetermined load is registered, means are provided for reversing the output of the motor means.

[0019] The principle of measuring the current supplied to the motor means is a very effective way of determining the force with which the compaction beam engages items such as trash or refuse placed underneath the compaction shield. By knowing the level of current when the compaction beam is not engaging for example trash but traveling freely along the guide rods, it is possible to determine a reference level. According to the circumstances, the pressure with which it is desirable that the compaction beam should engage material/items placed under the compaction shield for example trash or refuse may relatively simple be correlated to the current consumption. This level of current will then trigger a switch or relay which will reverse the rotational direction of the nut engaging the guide rods such that the compaction beam will be forced to travel away from its engagement with the items under the compaction shield.

[0020] As an alternative to the current measuring, one or more load measuring cells may be arranged. The use of load sensing/measuring cells arranged in the shield may also provide a safe operation of the device. The signals registered by the load measuring/sensing cells are then transmitted to appropriate circuitry in the control box where the switch is activated as a consequence of the input from the load measuring/sensing cells whereby the travel direction of the compaction beam is reversed. A third alternative way of detecting that a certain pressure and, thereby, level of compaction has been achieved is by placing an air hose in the compaction shield, such that when the air flowing in the air hose is disconnected this will trigger a switch and, thereby, reverse the traveling direction of the compacting beam. This principle is known from safety installations in connection with conveyors.

[0021] In a further advantageous embodiment, the output from the motor means is transferred to the engagement means by a worm drive.

[0022] In this manner, it is possible to transfer the output to the nuts of the engagement means such that rotation of the nuts will be assured. At the same time, by dimensioning the axle by which the rotation of the motor means is transferred to the worm drive and thereby to the nut such that the axle will be able to fit inside the slits provided in the casing which is arranged around the compaction guide rods whereby a safe and reliable force transmission means is provided. In the worm drive, the nut having the internal thread will also be provided with appropriate exterior thread or a part of a thread such that rotation of the axle where the axle is provided with corresponding thread or a section of thread will engage the exterior thread on the nut and, thereby, cause the nut to rotate in either direction depending on the axle's rotation direction.

[0023] In other embodiments, it might be advantageous to have a chain drive, where the chain is arranged such that the chain will coincide with the wings and rotate the nut by teeth arranged on the exterior part of the nut. Hereby, is facilitated that by the coinciding chain and wings that the compaction beam will be able to travel in the slits provided in the casing for the guide rods.

[0024] In a further advantageous embodiment, the compaction shield has a length between the engagement means and a width perpendicular to the length, such that the width of the shield is smaller than the length of the shield, and furthermore, that the shield may be curved in the width direction, such that said shield engages the trash with a concave-like profile.

[0025] The concave-like profile has proven especially useful when compacting trash comprising a number of smaller items in that the items will not have a tendency to roll back on top of the beam as the beam is propelled downwards towards compacting the material underneath the shield of the beam. The effectiveness of the compaction beam having a shield with a concave-like profile has proven to be relatively effective such that even though the compaction beam and the compaction shield only engage a limited area of the trash/refuse to be compacted an effective compaction of substantially the entire mass of trash will be effective.

[0026] In order to further improve and partly protect the upper part of the compaction beam, a second shield is provided pivotably fastened to the shield or beam, for covering part of the beam facing away from the concave-like surface of the shield.

[0027] Although the shield itself and especially the concave-like profile shield have an effective impact on material placed underneath the compaction shield, in some instances, items might be pushed up on top of the beam where it could otherwise come to rest had not the second shield been provided. The second shield effectively creates an inclined surface such that any items being pushed up on top of the beam and, thereby, up on the second shield will as the travel direction of the compaction is reversed fall back into the mass of trash. Advantageously, the second shield can be slightly biased upwards such that when the beam is in its parked position the second shield will be compressed towards the upper surface of the beam and as the beam travels downwards, the second shield will be released and the inclined surface will be effected.

[0028] The present invention also relates to a very important application of the compaction device as described above, namely, where the device is fitted inside a container in particular, a trash container where said container has four sides, a bottom and one or more lids pivotably fastened to a side, where said container comprises a compaction device according to any of claims 1 to 7 wherein two compaction guides are provided, one attached to each of the adjacent sides of the side to which the lids are pivotably fastened, and that in the lids, treaded rods are fastened, said rods having a diameter corresponding to the treaded rods provided in the compaction guides, such that the engagement means of the compaction beam may engage only the rods in the lid or both the guide rods and the rods provided in the lid or only the guide rods and that control means for controlling the motor means are provided on the outside of said container, and where said control means further comprises means for supplying power to the motor means.

[0029] Containers of this type are widely used and presently an effective system of distributing and collecting and emptying these containers is in place. By further installing the compaction device, as described above, it will in many instances be possible to either reduce the number of containers at each location or reduce the number of times, the container needs to be emptied in that the compaction device may be fitted either from the factory or in-situ to the container.

[0030] In the container, the lid is provided with relatively short rods such that when the compaction beam is propelled all the way to the top, its parked position will be when the nuts have engaged with the rods provided in the lid of the container whereby, the engagement means of the compaction beam are free of the guide rods arranged inside the container adjacent to the side wall. By this arrangement, it is possible to open the lid completely. The compaction beam will be fastened to the lid by the nuts' engagement to the small rod provided in the lid and the container may be emptied in the usual way.

[0031] On the sides of the container, the guide rods may be fastened and furthermore, the casings surrounding and protecting the guide rods may be fastened to the inner side of the containers. By utilizing casings, it may be avoided that trash and other foreign debris enter the casing and thereby, interfere with the guide rods which could ultimately hamper the correct operation of the device.

[0032] By arranging the guide rods offset from a center line for example closer to the side where the lid is pivotably hinged to the side of the container, the beam in its parked position will also be placed close to the pivotably fastening. The consequence is that for a user wanting to gain access to the container, lifting the lid is relatively light in that the downward load deriving from parking the compaction beam in the lid is relatively small in that the beam is placed relatively close to the hinge.

[0033] Furthermore, by providing a compaction shield which only covers a part of the opening area of the container, the weight of the beam construction may be kept at a relatively low weight. In practice, it has shown that an efficient compaction trash/refuse placed in a container comprising a compaction shield having a concave-like configuration where the shield only covers substantially half of the opening area of the container, a very effective compaction of the refuse/trash may be attained. Tests have shown that for containers used for office refuse approximately 30 % more waste may be placed in a container with a compaction device according to the invention than in containers not having such a compaction device.

[0034] In order to further improve the reliability of the device, the top of the casings surrounding the guide rods may be provided with cover plates, and furthermore, the engagement means of the compaction beam may also be provided with cover plates. These cover plates will automatically be positioned such that they will cover the upper opening of the casings and, respectively, the opening in the engagement means when the compaction beam is in its parked position in the lid such that the lid may be opened for the introduction of more refuse or waste. By having these cover plates, it may also be avoided that trash by mistake arrives inside the casings.

[0035] When the compaction device is activated, electrical means slides the covering plates away from the openings whereby the engagement means, i.e. the nuts due to the rotation caused by the motor means may firstly be propelled off the rods arranged in the lid and, thereafter, engage the guide rods fastened to the side of the container. Cover plates covering the casings will be slit into double track rails provided on the underside of the compaction shield such that both the cover plate covering the engagement means of the compaction beam and the cover plates covering the casings surrounding the guide rods will be held in the double track rails provided on the compaction shield during the compaction process. As the compaction beam returns to its parked position, i.e. in engagement with the short rods provided in the lid and free from the guide rods in the casings, the cover plates will be slid back into position where they cover the openings to the casings respectively in the engagement means after which the lid may be opened and trash/refuse placed in the container without the risk of interference with the workings of the compaction device.

[0036] The lid may be provided with an electrically activated latch mechanism such that the lid may only be opened after the compaction procedure has been finished. When a user opens the lid and places trash/refuse in the container, the user will, thereafter, close the lid and press a button on the control box. By pressing the button, the user activates firstly the electric latch mechanism such that the lid may not be opened, thereafter, the retraction of the cover plates after which the motor means will cause rotation of the nuts such that the compaction beam will be propelled downwards along the guide rods in the casings. As the compaction beam and especially the compaction shield engages and compresses the waste and refuse placed in the container, the current consumption will increase due to the resistance provided from the waste/refuse placed in the container. As the predetermined level of current consumption is reached, a switch in the control box will reverse the motor means, and thereby, reverse the rotational direction of the nuts, such that the compaction beam will be propelled upwards and away from the compacted trash/refuse at the bottom of the container. As the compaction beam travels upwards it will engage the small rods provided in the lid and ultimately activate a switch such that the rotation of the nuts is stopped. The triggering of the sensing means in the lid also in addition to stopping the rotation of the nuts, slides the cover plates back in position where they cover the top of the casings and the engagement means. As this is completed, the latch means is released such that a user can gain access to the interior of the container again. The container is, thereby, ready for another cycle.

[0037] The device may be installed in containers which are already in use, in that the casings comprising the guide rods may easily be applied to the interior of the container simply by appropriate fastening means such as bolts or the like. In the same manner, the rods in the lid may be attached to the lid, for example by bolts going through the lid.

[0038] The compaction beam can be placed after the installation of the guide rods simply by placing the pre-made control box on the outside, where the control box includes the activating button and passing an electrical wire through the wall of the container and connecting it to the motor means in the compaction beam. In this manner, a very simple and efficient installation may be achieved quite rapidly.

[0039] Also with respect to service, the present invention presents a number of advantages in comparison to prior art devices in that simply by disengaging the electrical means from the compaction beam, a replacement compaction beam may be installed in-situ such that the container does not need to be taken away to a workshop in order to be repaired if the problem relates to the functioning of the compaction beam. In this connection, it should be mentioned that the guiding rods and casings are relatively simple constructions purposely made so in order to minimize maintenance and thereby things that will break or needs to be replaced. It is, therefore, likely that if any breakdowns should occur, it will be either in the control box or in the compaction beam. A service man will, therefore, relatively easy be able to replace the compaction beam in that this is a completely loose member which is not bolted or in any other way fastened to the container. Replacement therefore only involves taking the compaction beam out of the container and putting in a new. The non-functioning beam may hereafter be repaired at leisure in the workshop.

[0040] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein

fig. 1

illustrates a container pivotally with a device according to the invention,

fig. 2

illustrates a isometric top view of the compaction beam,

fig. 3

illustrates the container in its closed position,

fig. 4

illustrates the container in an open position, and

fig. 5

illustrates a container with the compaction beam in its closed position.

[0041] The same reference numbers will be used for the same or corresponding technical features throughout the detailed description.

[0042] For purpose of illustration, the waste container illustrated in fig. 1 is illustrated in a semitransparent view whereby it will be possible to see the different parts of the device and how these parts should be fitted inside a waste container of this type.

[0043] The waste container 1 is usually made from a plastic material which may or may not be reinforced for example by adding glass fibers in the production stage. The container 1 may comprise means 2 which is used by the crew emptying the container for attaching the container to the garbage truck. On the truck there are pivotal members which will engage the means 2 and tilt and turn the container upside down in order to empty the container into the storage space provided in the garbage trucks.

[0044] The lid 3 of the container is fully openable such that the lid may be brought into a position where it is substantially parallel with the back side of the container by pivoting about hinge means 4 provided between the lid and the side. In the lid of the container 3, the compaction beam 5 is mounted on rods 6 (see fig. 5). The engagement means of the compaction beam has engaged the rods 6 for example by an inner tread provided in the engagement means engaging an outer tread provided on the rod.

[0045] The electrical connections, control box and so forth necessary for propelling the compaction beam is not illustrated for clarity reasons.

[0046] Inside the container itself, the guide rods 7 are arranged inside of a guide rod casing 8. The guide rod casing is supplied with two longitudinal slits 9,10. Furthermore, a casing cover plate 11 may be provided as well. For clarity reasons, the casing in the right hand side of the container 1 in fig. 1 is shown without the cover plate in order to illustrate the arrangement of the guide rod 7.

[0047] The guide plates 11 serve to cover the opening in the casing as illustrated in the lefthand side of the container in fig. 1 such that waste or refuse does not enter the space around the guide rod whereby the compaction beam's travel might be hampered. Corresponding upper plates 12 are provided in order to cover the engagement means 13 on the compaction beam 5 for the same reasons as described above. Before activating the compaction beam, i.e. activating the motor means such that the engagement means 13 will engage the guide rod 7 and thereby, be propelled downwards against the waste or refuse placed inside the container, the cover plates 11,12 must be brought out of the covering position and into a storage position. This is facilitated by sliding the cover plates 11,12 along double track rails 14 provided on the shield side of the compaction beam. This may be done electrically by electrical actuators arranged inside the compaction beam 5.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sliding of the cover plates 11,12 only takes place once the lid 3 is in its closed position.

[0049] In order to have the compaction beam 5 provide pressure to the waste or refuse placed in the container in an effective way, the guide rods 7 are placed at a distance from the back wall of the container. In order to bridge the gap between the casing of the guide rods and the back wall, spacer elements 15 are provided such that waste or refuse will not become stuck between the casing and the back wall. This is an important aspect since normal household waste may contain objects which may over time give rise to unhygienic circumstances.

[0050] Turning to fig. 2, a detailed view of the upper side of the compaction beam is illustrated. The compaction beam 5 is equipped with engagement means 13 in both ends. Approximately in the center of the beam a motor means 16 is arranged. The engagement means in this preferred embodiment comprises a treaded nut having a downward open end 17. Inside the nut is arranged a tread which tread corresponds to a tread provided on the outside of the guiding rods 7. Inside the engagement means 13 is provided a worm gear drive (not shown) such that the output from the motor means 16 in the shape of rotation is transferred via the drive shafts 18 through the worm drive whereby it is translated into the rotation of the nut such that the open end 17 of the nut will turn and, thereby, be able to for example engage the guide rod 7 in order to be propelled downwards against the trash or refuse placed in the container.

[0051] In order to more effectively compress and compact the waste/refuse placed in the container, the compaction beam is equipped with a shield 19. The shield may advantageously be concave-like shaped in that tests have shown that this provides for the optimal distribution of the pressure in the trash/refuse placed in the button of the container. Furthermore, returning to the cover plates as discussed with reference to fig. 1, the actuating means for providing the cover plates 11,12 is illustrated at the rear side of the compaction beam by the axles 20,21, the actual means for effecting the slide, is not illustrated.

[0052] A further advantageous feature with the device according to the invention is the provision of the wings 22,23,24,25. These wings have a thickness corresponding substantially to the width of the slits 9,10 provided in the casings 8 arranged inside the container. Furthermore, in their mounted position, they extend in their vertical direction such that an effective stabilizing effect may be achieved by the interaction of the wings against the sides of the slits 9,10. When arranging the compaction beam inside the container, the engagement means 13 will be placed completely inside the casing 8, and the guide rod 7 will engage the open-ended section 17 of the nut. Due to the provision of cover plates and casings, a substantial pollution-free inner casing is provided such that the compaction beam will travel substantially unhindered up and down inside the casing.

[0053] Turning to fig. 3, the container 1 is illustrated in its closed position.

[0054] The activating button for initiating the compaction cycle may be arranged in the handle 26 where also an electrically activated latch mechanism (not illustrated) may be arranged.

[0055] The compactions beam 5 is illustrated in its parked position. The nuts 27 arranged in the engagement means 13 are engaging the rods 6 provided in the lid 3 of the container.

[0056] The nuts 27 are connected to the drive shaft 18 via the worm gear 28. When the motor means are activated, the drive shaft 18 will rotate and thereby translate its rotational direction in the worm gear to a rotation of the nut 27, whereby the compaction beam 5 will be caused to travel downwards. The compaction beam will be able to travel downwards to a position as illustrated in fig. 5.

[0057] Returning to fig. 3, the second shield 29 is illustrated in its compressed stage.

[0058] In the position of the compaction beam 5 as illustrated in fig. 3, it is possible for a user to open the container as illustrated in fig. 4. The lid 3 is pivoted by means of the hinges 4 such that it is possible to gain access to the interior of the container 1. As the compaction beam 5 is arranged close to the hinge 4, the weight the user has to lift in order to gain access to the interior of the container 1 is limited. In practice, it has been shown that the compaction beam will have a weight of about 8-9 kilos. When a user has to lift this weight, he will have help from the extension of the lift, which will function as a lever in order to lift the lid including the compaction beam 5.

[0059] When the lid is closed and the compaction cycle activated by pressing the button on the not illustrated control box, the compaction beam will be propelled along the guide rod 7. Eventually, the compaction beam 5 will arrive at the position as illustrated in fig. 5. Here the second shield 29 is in its operational stage, where an inclined surface is created such that any trash items, which may jump up or otherwise be pushed up during the compaction process, will, as the travel direction of the compaction beam 5 is reversed, roll back into the bottom of the container.

[0060] In this embodiment the guide rod 7 extends only partially down the container. Tests have shown that a sufficient compression will be achieved when only beginning the compactions process as the container is partly filled up. Compressing only a very limited amount of trash/refuse placed in the bottom of a container has a minimal effect which does not always correspond to the energy used for compacting the trash.

[0061] In the embodiments illustrated in the figure the container is provided with wheels 30. It should, however, be mentioned that the container illustrated is only for illustration purposes and that the compaction device arranged in the interior of a container is just as suitable for other types of containers where it is possible to arranged the guide rods substantially parallel in order to guide the travel of the compaction beam towards the material which it is desirable to compact.

[0062] Furthermore, the detailed description of the invention has mainly been concerned with a system where a threaded nut is brought to rotate and thereby be propelled along a threaded guide rod. It is also contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the compaction beam may be pulled down towards the trash/refuse to be compacted by hydraulic telescopic cylinders arranged in the casings.

Claims

1. Compaction device, in particular for compacting trash for example in a container, where said device comprises two separate items: a compaction beam and one or more compaction guides such that the compaction beam comprises a compaction shield said shield having a surface adapted for engagement with the trash, a motor means and engagement means for detachably engaging and propelling said beam along the one or more guides from a parked position to a compacting position.

2. Compaction device according to claim 1, wherein in each end of the compaction beam a compaction guide is provided, and corresponding engagement means are provided in the beam for engaging the guides and further that one electrical motor means is provided substantially centrally on the compaction beam such that drive means such as drive shafts, chains, belts or the like transfers the motor means output to the engagement means, where the engagement means comprises rotateable nuts which nuts are provided with an inner tread and on the outside are provided with means for transferring the output from the drive means to the engagement means, and that the compaction guides are treaded rods, where the inner treads provided in the nuts can engage the tread on the rods, and thereby when the nuts are rotated said beam may be propelled along the compaction guides.

3. Compaction device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein means for reversing the compaction beam's travel along the compaction guides is provided, and that said means may be preprogrammed to reverse the travel when a certain predetermined load is detected by appropriate load detection means and a further detection means is provided such that the motor means will be shut off in the beams parked position.

4. Compaction device according to claim 3, wherein the detection means comprises a current measurement means connected to the motor means, such that when a predetermined level of current is consumed by the motor means, a relay or switch is activated whereby the motor means output is reversed, or that one or more load measuring cells are arranged on the compaction shield on the side intended to engage the material to be compacted, such that when a predetermined load is registered means are provided for reversing the output of the motor means.

5. Compaction device according to any preceding claim, wherein the output from the motor means is transferred to the engagement means by a worm drive.

6. Compaction device according to any preceding claim, wherein the shield has a length between the engagement means and a width perpendicular to the length, such that the width of the shield is smaller than the length of the shield, and furthermore that the shield may be curved in the width direction, such that said shield engages the trash with a concave-like profile.

7. Compaction device according to any preceding claim, wherein a second shield is provided pivotably fastened to the shield or beam, for covering part of the beam facing away from the concave-like surface of the shield.

8. Container, in particular trash container, where said container has four sides, a bottom and one or more lids pivotably fastened to a side, where said container comprises a compaction device according to any of claims 1 to 7 wherein two compaction guides are provided, one attached to each of the adjacent sides of the side to which the lids are pivotably fastened, and that in the lids treaded rods are fastened, said rods having a diameter corresponding to the treaded rods provided in the compaction guides, such that the engagement means of the compaction beam may engage only the rods in the lid or both the guide rods and the rods provided in the lid or only the guide rods and that control means for controlling the motor means are provided on the outside of said container, and where said control means further comprises means for supplying power to the motor means.

Drawing